Werkself review #FCHB04: ‘We’re ready to overcome this situation’

Summary: Two-goal lead not enough for victory

The travelling Bayer 04 fans had barely packed away the materials for their spectacular tifo when Aleix Garcia’s first shot went just wide (8’). The Werkself dominated possession against the hosts, who were disciplined in defence, and made the most of their two big chances: Malik Tillman scored the opener from Garcia’s cross (22’) before Schick’s header from an Alejandro Grimaldo cross made it two (35’). The hosts levelled the scores through Patrick Mainka (56’) and Marvin Pieringer (72’, pen) in a turbulent second half, but Bayer 04 remained calm and Schick’s second headed goal restored the lead (79’). But it didn’t last until the final whistle: Pieringer scored another equaliser (85’). The Werkself threw everything forward in the closing stages, but another goal refused to come.

• The full match report!
• The TV highlights!
• Re-live!

Reaction: ‘We didn’t get back into our game’ after the break

“Three goals should be enough to win, so the draw feels like a defeat,” head coach Kasper Hjulmand said after the match. The tactical adjustments, partly because of Edmond Tapsoba’s one-match ban, worked well in the first half, according to the Dane: “But of course we should have defended better in the second half. It’s unacceptable that we conceded three goals again. We have to and will improve that.”

Nevertheless, Hjulmand remained confident ahead of the final spurt of the season with seven remaining matches: “We’ve demonstrated our quality to take points against strong opponents. And we always play on Saturdays, which gives us time to recover. We’re ready to overcome this situation.”

“We played two different halves,” summed up comeback kid Mark Flekken, who saw a controlled first half and a deserved lead: “We wanted to add a third goal, but for some reason we didn’t get back into our game – neither in defence nor in attack.” Malik Tillman agreed: “We got off to a very good start but suddenly lost a lot of challenges and gave the game away.” The 23-year-old set the tone for the final spurt of the season: “We want to make it into the top four, that’s our clear goal!”

• The reaction video!

What the papers say: ‘Setback in the battle for the Champions League spots’

“Leverkusen squander lead,” read the Bild summary, with the draw at Heidenheim “a setback in the fight for the Champions League” – even though it looked “like a comfortable win for Leverkusen” for a long time. kicker too spoke of “a setback in the battle for the Champions League spots” but highlighted the first half in which “the Werkself’s individual quality prevailed.” Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger credited Jarell Quansah with a “class performance” and highlighted Alejandro Grimaldo (two assists) and Patrik Schick (two goals).

Personnel: Schick Bayer 04’s third-most prolific Bundesliga scorer

Flekken was back in goal for the first time after sustaining an injury in the match against Hoffenheim in mid-January. Montrell Culbreath started on Saturday. The youngster was in Bayer 04’s starting line-up in two consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time.

As in the first match at the BayArena, a 6-0 victory for the Werkself, Schick bagged a brace at Heidenheim. His two headed goals mean the Czech is not only Bayer 04’s top scorer this season (nine goals) but also the third-most prolific Bundesliga scorer in the club’s history (73 goals). Schick overtook Herbert Waas in the all-time ranking on Saturday, with only Stefan Kießling (131) and Ulf Kirsten (182) ahead of him. Congrats, Patrik!

Stats: Black and Reds dominate possession

After five wins from five matches, Bayer 04 drew their first Bundesliga match against FCH. The Werkself were in control in the first half in particular, enjoying almost 70 percent of the ball. They had 62 percent possession overall. With a pass rate of 86 percent, the Black and Reds took 14 shots to the hosts’ nine.

Coming up: Wolfsburg clash after the international break

After the last international break of the season, Bayer 04 will be back in action at home at Easter. The Werkself entertain VfL Wolfsburg at the BayArena on Saturday, 4 April, at 15:30 CEST. Remaining tickets are available HERE!